User blog:TheCoolBoss/A Guide to the TMed Strategy
'Introduction' The TMed (Tanks and Medics) strategy is an interesting troop composition that uses the durable, damaging Tanks and the healing power of Medics. This guide is intended to give an in-depth look at the troops, how to handle defenses, and a good attack. This guide uses the statistics of maximum level units without boosts. 'The Troops' Tanks The Tank is, of no surprise, the main troop of this attacking strategy. Damage is the Tank's main strength. A level 15 Tank inflicts a very high 1638 damage (barring troop damage boosts). This places them as the troop that deals the most damage per shot. Most buildings will quickly fall with a few shots. Health is also a key strength, as befitting an armored unit. A total of 5,270 hitpoints allows them to take a lot of punishment. Most defenses would take a long time to deal major damage. Tanks also have a very long range. They can outrange Flamethrowers, just like Zookas. Machine Guns and Cannons have a better range, but Tanks will be on the edge. However, the rate of fire is very slow. Tanks are the slowest shooting troop, at 3.5 seconds between shots. This equates to roughly 17 shots per minute. The high damage generally allows them to destroy buildings with few shots, but the large delay allows them to take more damage. Speed isn't pleasant either. Tanks are also the slowest unit. This means that Headquarters located in the back of an island are partially invulnerable, as the time in an attack may run out. The training parts are also a major downfall. Level 1 Tanks cost 8,000 gold per unit. This is more expensive than almost every other troop. The time to load a single one onto a Landing Craft is long. A hefty 24 minutes leaves a lot of waiting time should a tank be lost in a battle. The size they take on a craft is 8 spaces; the second largest of all the troops. Tanks don't deal the most damage when compared to 12 Zookas or have the health of 6 Heavies, but they are still pretty decent. Alone, overall performance is generally better than other troops. They can last even longer when they are supported, with other troops. Medics Tanks are easily capable of crushing bases alone, but support and assistance makes them even better. Medics are the perfect troop to do this. Their power to heal other troops quickly means that damage from low damaging buildings such as Rocket Launchers, Mortars, and Machine Guns can almost be ignored entirely. Single-shot defenses cannot generally be outhealed, although the time for them to kill can be reduced by them. The Medic is the only troop that does not deal damage. In exchange, they are the only source of healing, aside from Medkits. Their "damage" is fairly impressive. Medics can heal a maximum of 30 Health Per Second. Health is moderate; max level Medics have 1,162 hitpoints. This allows them to be killed quickly by most defenses, but their location behind other troops generally prevents this. Range is rather short, although it is good enough to allow them to stay safe behind other troops. Rate of fire is fast, at 1 second between "shots". This allows them to heal other troops quickly. It is also splash, letting multiple troops to be healed at once. An important handling note is that they do not follow Flares. Instead, they follow injured troops and if none are hurt, they'll follow the closest one. This makes them near uncontrollable, although it is still manageable. Training is generally manageable. A total of 12,000 gold is required to train one maximum level Medic. The time to load one is bearable as well, at just 10 minutes. Space isn't a major concern, but somewhat high when compared to most other troops. At 5 spaces, a maximum of 4 can be loaded onto a single Landing craft. This means that, per craft, the maximum HPS is 240. Most units will quickly recover. Of course, Medics require more conventional troops to be successful. When paired with the right units, they can be almost unstoppable. Grenadiers (optional) An optional troop to bring along is the Grenadier. These guys are currently the only the only troop that inflict area damage (aside from the Scorcher's explosion from death). They can also damage friendly troops, but in this case, the Tank's long range and Medic's positioning behind them, it is practically impossible. Health is moderately low; it is higher than a Rifleman's, but lower than an average troop. Just 760 hitpoints makes them rather fragile and easily killable by many defenses. Groups of high level Mortars can kill them extremely quickly, unless they are healed through any means. Damage isn't too hot; a max level Grenadier only deals 384 damage without boosts. Even if every shot connected, it would take a long time for them to destroy a base. However, they are the troop with the best range. If placed properly, they can outrange Cannons and Machine Guns. Accuracy, unlike other troops, is affected. Their shots do not always land at the target. They often overshoot, but never undershoot. This means they can destroy buildings behind others. They are also somewhat quick at throwing, with a 2 second delay between shots, tied with the zooka. As a result, they can lob grenades fairly quickly. The low damage and accuracy, however, limits their usefulness against single targets. Training is similar to the tank. A grand total of 6 spaces each means maximum unboosted DPS is 1536, much lower than most other troops. Cost is quite hefty, at 17,000 gold each. The only issue with deploying 1-2 crafts alone with them is time. The time to train is not too bad, at just 15 minutes. Grenadiers are excellent at causing destruction in a base, but it comes with the cost of time. Still, they could be a useful asset in some TMed compostitions if used properly. 'Recommended Loadouts' The TMed strategy depends on whether or not Grenadiers will be taken. If not, 2 boats of Medics are sufficient, but 3 is also a good amount. Try to balance the ratio of Tanks to the amount of inital Gunboat energy; enough is required to destroy Boom Cannons and other "big" defenses. A suggested table of loadouts can be found below. TMed with Grenadiers (TGM) is, in my personal opinion, a good strategy, but the amount of Landing Craft with Medics is reduced to just one until 8 craft are obtained. This version cannot be done with 6 craft, as the 7th is unlocked with Grenadiers at HQ 16. 'Handling Defenses' Below is a guide on how to handle certain defenses, with the first one being the top priority. Boom Cannons: The Boom Cannon is essentially a Tank's enemy. Their extremely high damage and range allows them to quickly kill a Tank army. Their health also prevents them from being brought down easily; only a high level Barrage and Artillery can take them down. For those that are not destroyed and unavoidable, Shock Bombs and Flares are the best chance to take them down. Compared to Hooka (Heavies and Zookas) strategy, Tanks are the only damage dealers. Grenadiers are an exception, but they are unreliable in terms of accuracy. Boom Cannons are the perfect defense for bringing them down. Either avoid them or destroy them ASAP. However, do not worry about low-level ones if high-level Tanks are used, as it will take a long time for one to destroy a single Tank. By then, the Boom Cannon will be destroyed. Boom Mines: Boom Mines are essentially Boom Cannons that deal damage once, albeit with a lower damage profile. These are also good at bringing down a Tank's health. A slight splash means that several Tanks can be damaged at once, although this is very rare. They can be destroyed however, with Grenadiers, if they are not in the front (Grenadiers do not undershoot their target). Still, they are a major threat to the troops. Depending on level, a single Boom Mine shouldn't be a big deal unless they can kill the Tanks instantly. With Grenadiers, dealing with these is much easier, depending on their location. Of course, they can be ignored if they would deal insignificant damage, but be aware of large groups and nearby "heavy" defenses. Critters are excellent at removing them because they also distract defenses. Cannons: Cannons do have a shorter range than most defenses, but they are still good at eating away Tanks. They can be ignored and dealt with Grenadiers but the following must be true: #They are at the front or Machine guns/economy buildings are in front of them, but ones in the front must be closest to the beach. #Shock Launchers, Boom Cannons, and Sniper Towers cannot exceed their range (time and killing ability). #Said Cannon(s)' range must NOT be in range of where the Grenadiers are deployed. This can be solved as seen below. Even if they are at the very front, deploying the Grenadiers just on the border of the beach and the ocean should keep them safe. Otherwise, using Shock Bombs is important to take them out, as they can go toe-to-toe with 1 or 2 Tanks. It is debatable if Cannons are worse than Boom Mines. They should be targeted first, due to the fact they can hit Tanks several times unless: #They can be ignored if the Cannon in question won't deal significant damage (i.e. low-level). #Enough spare GBE is present after Tank deployment to shock the Cannon but have less than what's needed to destroy the Boom Mine (i.e. 10 energy is left, enough for a shock, but should be less than the next Barrage/Artillery). #A high amount of Tanks are present. The Cannon should get only 1-2 shots before it is destroyed. In general, judgment is the deciding factor of a Cannon's threat level. It is recommended to compare their overall DPS to Boom Cannons and Shock Launchers (i.e. a level 22 Cannon is generally worse than a level 1 Boom Cannon). Shock Launchers: While Shock Launchers do very little damage to Tanks, the stunning ability is what makes them a considerable defense. They allow troops to get hit by other defenses, which could ultimately lead to their demise. A max level Shock Launcher also stuns Tanks for so long, they can almost never shoot (although they will after some time). This also makes them move even slower, increasing the chances of running out of time. Depending on level, Shock Launchers and Cannons could be targeted in a different order. Low-level ones, however, pose almost no threat, as the stun time is very short and usually insignificant. Sniper Tower: After a recent update, Tanks now have less health. Sniper towers are good at exploiting this, as their relatively high DPS slowly withers down Tanks. However, swarming it makes waste of it very quickly, so they are not that big of a deal unless positioned behind most other buildings and/or if ignored. Rocket Launchers: Rockets are generally not a threat to Tanks. The only ones that need to be destroyed are groups are buffed by a Damage Amplifier. In all cases, a single Rocket Launcher does not deal enough damage to kill a Tank quickly, especially with Medics. They are only a threat to Grenadiers and Medics, but with proper Flare usage, they can be ignored. Everything Else: Essentially every other defense is negligible, due to their low damage. Groups of high level Mines are the only real danger if used with Grenadiers. They outrun Tanks, so they would take the damage. Medics stay behind the Tanks, so they shouldn't charge into them. If no single shot defenses are nearby, a Shock Bomb is suggested on groups of Mortars, due to their somewhat high damage per shot, potentially killing a few Medics, especially if a Flare was placed nearby. Machine Guns do very little damage and due to their inaccuracy, Medics will outheal them. Flamethrowers are outranged by Tanks, so they are not a threat. Even if Tanks did get into its range, Medics will generally be able to counter enough damage to let the Tanks destroy it without dying. These defenses pose little threat and are easily ignorable overall. 'How to Attack' Using the TMed strategy does take a little bit of practice. However, it will soon become easy to do. A guide to an attack can be found below. #Destroy as many Boom Cannons and Boom Mines as possible, while ensuring enough GBE is left over to land the Tanks. If there is some left, damage the Cannons or Shock Launchers, depending on level and overall threat. #If Grenadiers are not present, skip this step. Otherwise, if necessary, deploy them with the Medics as far from the base as possible on the desired side. This should only be done if anti-Tank defenses are behind middle-ranged ones or if Cannons are up front. Make sure the troops stay protected (check Rocket Launcher range). Otherwise, deploy them. If a lot of Rocket Launchers or Sniper Towers are nearby, deploy the Tanks a few seconds before the other troops. This makes them take the damage. #As more GBE is acquired from economy and low damage defenses, use it to start damaging Cannons that are unavoidable, unless they are a level that poses no threat. Use Shock Bombs on Cannons and Snipers if necessary. Otherwise, watch them plow through the weak defenses. #If troops are flared to a weakened side, use Smoke to cover them if needed. #Once the HQ is open on one side, let the Tanks destroy it. TMed 2.PNG|Initial Base TMed 3.PNG|Destroy defenses that pose the greatest threat (t. TMed 4.PNG|Use energy from the front buildings to remove any other dangerous turrets. TMed 5.PNG|Use a Flare as necessary. TMed 6.PNG|Use a Smoke Screen to protect troops. TMed 7.PNG|Let the Tanks destroy the HQ. 'Tips and Tricks' *In the higher levels, it is almost certainly impossible to destroy all of the Boom Cannons while deploying every Tank. Prototype defenses like the Shock Blaster and Doom Cannon also cause problems. Instead of wasting all of the energy on Gunboat weapons and saving none for Tanks, destroy any Doom Cannons or Shock Blasters (these should always come first, with a slight exception of an unboosted Shock Blaster I), and Boom Cannons closest to the front. Use energy from other buildings to destroy or shock ones in the back. *Try to keep at least 3 Gunboat energy statues: 1 Masterpiece and 2+ Guardians. This is usually enough for 2-3 Barrages, generally enough for most occasions. *Do not be afraid to leave some Tanks behind in the beginning of a fight. It is much better to have all Boom Cannons destroyed while missing 3 Tanks than to have all of them with a Boom Cannon or two eating them away. *This strategy is quite useful when attempting to start a "big" upgrade. Casualties are rare, saving training and online time (preventing the special timer from showing up). See the Defending page for more information. *Avoid landing Medics in front of Tanks. This will likely result in their deaths. To prevent this, deploy them in the same area (but after the Tanks) or wait a few seconds. *Try to avoid this strategy on large Operation bases, as the Tank's slow speed means there isn't a lot of time to deal damage. *Although a Tank casualty is discouraging due to the rather long training time, it can be beneficial. This is because it reduces the amount of energy needed to land them, saving more for Gunboat weapons. *If there are no immediate threats at the beach, deploy the troops first before using the Gunboat. This grants extra time, which may make a difference, especially on large bases such as the Dr. T. Volcano event. *Take advantage of two heavy defenses close to each other. A Barrage on each will likely destroy both (see above walkthrough for example). *Focus on the front defenses first, unless they are rather weak. Energy from other buildings should be enough for later ones. Example: 'Defending against TMed' *Place Boom Cannons within close proximity of the Headquarters, but to the point where many or all cannot be shocked at once. This makes it difficult for Tanks to attack the Headquarters without destroying every Boom Cannon. *Regular Cannons should be reasonably close to the beach. Their short range and the Tank's long range makes it harder for them to attack Tanks distracted by other buildings. It may also force the attacker to use a Shock Bomb, wasting energy for remaining Boom Cannons. *Position a Shock Launcher so that its range intersects with the ranges of at least 2 Boom Cannons. If it was close to only one, both could be shocked at once. *Sniper Towers and Rocket Launcher groups boosted with a Damage Amplifier may help in dealing enough damage Medics can't out-heal. However, a Shock Blaster or Doom Cannon is generally more helpful. *Place Boom Mines and Shock Mines away from any of the defenses mentioned above. This prevents them from getting destroyed with a Barrage. *Economy and Support buildings should be spread out and not in the front. They provide free energy for Gunboat weapons, which Tanks rely on. 'Summary' The TMed strategy is an interesting one, that in the proper hands, can be very devastating. It is capable of handling most bases. The high health, damage, and range results in few defenses targeting them, which results in fewer casualties. However, this composition should be avoided on bases with a high amount of single shot defenses, unless they are low level. Handling it isn't a nice task either, even one loss results in a minimum of 10 minutes (medics) of waiting time. Gold is also a key factor, as this strategy can chew up a supply, which could have been used elsewhere. Still, this is the only real strategy that can result in little to no losses. Overall, the TMed strategy is a useful one if used correctly, which results in many victories. 'Notes' Any form of feedback is appreciated. Any notes on spelling, punctuation, and grammar is welcomed as well. I would prefer that the comments relate to this strategy to keep things organized. I will do my best to reply ASAP. Stay tuned for my next guide, when I'll be covering a quite popular strategy: Smokey Warriors or SW. Category:Blog posts Category:Attack Strategy Guides Category:Featured Strategy Blogs